Jedi Among Us
by Indarae
Summary: The age old question redefined: if the USS Voyager took on a Star Destroyer, who would win? (Star Trek:Voyager/Star Wars crossover, post-"Bloodfever", post-"Return of the Jedi") (Very Old Work)
1. Part One

Title: Jedi Among Us

Author: Savel (now known as Indarae)

Disclaimer: Not mine. Never have been. Never will be. 

Summary: The age old question redefined: if the _USS Voyager_ took on a Star Destroyer, who would win? (Star Trek:Voyager/Star Wars crossover, post-"Bloodfever", post-"Return of the Jedi")

Pairing: What else? Tom Paris/B'Elanna Torres. This was written long, long before the two ever hooked up on screen.

Warning: Middle School writings ahead. I've spellchecked since conception, but that's the limit of it!

A/N: Now here's a laugh for you. I wrote this when I was 14, in 8th grade. As I'm now a senior in college, it was quite a surprise when I found this among the files I transferred from my old computer. What is it? Part One of a complicated fanfic challenge a friend set for me. 

The challenge: I was to cross Star Trek:Voyager with any sci fi or fantasy movie, book, or telly show he specified... and make all the crossovers into a series. While it was never finished, the series pushed 200 typed pages and encompassed Star Wars, Dragonlance and Pern, with a planned Gargoyles: The Animated Series component, and ending with a Death Gate Cycle (Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman) cross. Sound gutsy? It was. Somehow, though, I managed to do it.

Will I post all the parts? Probably not. Anne McCaffery requested that fanfiction for her Pern novels not be posted online, and I will abide by her request, out of my awe for her and her writing. However, Star Wars and Dragonlance are fair game... and I'd love to pop these old suckers up here, just for a laugh.

Laugh long. Laugh hard. Review lightly, since these works ARE coming on eight years old. Just remember: there's nary a Mary Sue in sight!

A/N2: This, the Star Wars crossover, takes place immediately before Timothy Zahn's trilogy which, I believe, begins with "Heir of the Empire." Please correct me if I'm wrong. In short, remnants of the Empire are still fighting in the wake of the Emperor's death, with various Admirals vying for control; the admiral in this story appears in Zahn's work. The story is also a followup to a postep I wrote and posted here on ff.net, called "Bloodletting," an alternate end to "Bloodfever." Read if you want; I don't think it's really necessary, just know that Vorick, instead of allowing B'Elanna to turn down his advances, takes advantage of her instead. 

I was so incredibly proud of this piece, when I handed it over to my friend for examination... however, I think I was in need of a lot of practice... Go on, have a good laugh.

Jedi Among Us

Part One

"Tom," Lieutenant Torres said, as the shuttle rocked under enemy fire - softly, so that Harry couldn't hear, "We're not going to make it. The Cochrane has just taken too many hits. Open a channel to Voyager. We need to tell them to stay clear of here."

"Incoming!" Ensign Kim shouted from a station in the back. The torpedoes, while less

powerful than the few photons carried by the Cochrane, were still taking out the limited shields of the shuttle.

{Less complex than photons!} B'Elanna thought to herself as she braced for the torpedo's

impact. {Protons, maybe? But we haven't used protons since the Romulan Wars!} The missile then rammed into the shields, weakening them further.

"Shields at 25%!" Harry announced, as more of the H - shaped fighters raked the

Cochrane with laser fire. "Make that 24%!"

{Lasers,} she reminded herself, {lasers! We're dealing with - maybe - a late 21st century

culture - and they're still going to destroy us!} "How about that message, Tom?" Torres asked, trying to force her mind from the subject.

Tom glanced at her with a frown, and shook his head. "I might be able to punch something

through the nebula's interference . . . lots of static, though. They may not receive any of it. No help then."

B'Elanna sighed. "I'm not asking for help. We're far enough away, that by the time they

receive the message, and make it here, it'll be far too late. I'm sending them a warning - about the mother ship'."

"What mother ship? We haven't seen one!" Paris said desperately.

"Tom, those fighters don't have warp capabilities. They're twelve years away from any

planet, M-class or otherwise, and that's at full impulse. I doubt they can go that fast."

"If this is a 22nd century culture, that mother ship won't be able to give Voyager a scratch."

Torres shook her head. "Too many if's'. The fighters are 22nd century, but the larger ship - and believe me, I'll bet it's quite a bit larger - may be a little more advanced. We can't take that chance." B'Elanna paused as the shuttle wobbled again. "We can't put 135 lives in that kind of danger."

"20%!" Harry called.

"Fine," Paris sighed, "I'll open a channel."

B'Elanna reached over and set a hand on one of his. She gave him a helpless glance. "It's

been nice serving with you, Tom."

Tom smiled sadly. "Same for you." He turned and was once again all business. "Aye,

Lieutenant, channel open."

+

"Captain," Ensign Hensley called from Ops, "We're getting a message from Cochrane."

{Good news, I hope,} Captain Janeway thought. To Hensley, she commanded, "Put them

on screen. Maybe they've finally found us some dilithium."

Hensley tapped a few buttons on her console, before reporting, "On screen, Captain. It's a

recording, made several minutes ago."

Lieutenant Torres' face replaced the stars. Static crackled in the background of the

transmission. Katheryn Janeway could hear Kim and Paris shouting in the back. "Captain, we've been attacked! The ships . . . " For an instant, the screen filled with static, and B'Elanna's words were lost. Then, "Small fighters . . . ttacking us . . . More coming this way!"

"Clean it up, Ensign!" Janeway shouted over the noise.

The image of Torres cleared slightly. "-ey have four wings, kinda . . . X. Wait! They're not

. . ." Static again claimed the screen.

"Captain, I'm having lots of trouble here! Something's jamming the transmission!"

Hensley called.

"Tuvok!" Janeway demanded, "Get er back! Now!"

Tuvok hurried over to Ops. "I am attempting to break through the jamming field."

Moments later, the Cochrane's message was back. "-bout late 21st century technology

level . . . Captain, do not . . . I repeat, avoid this sector at all costs . . . doubt we will survive this attack . . ."

Almost as B'Elanna said that, a console exploded in the back of the shuttle. "Harry!" she

shrieked, and turned from the screen. Moments later, another exploded to her right, and Tom Paris jumped up to lend a hand. The computer picked up the tell-tale hiss of decompression just before the message abruptly ended in a flash of white.

Janeway sat quickly, unwilling to let the crew see her stumble. "Tuvok?" she asked quietly,

willing back the sudden urge to cry.

Tuvok confirmed her horrible suspicions as he reached tactical. Glancing down at the

console, he announced, "I am unable to locate the shuttle."

Chakotay reached over to set a comforting hand on her shoulder, as much for his own good

as hers. {It can't be true!} she wanted to shout. But it was. They were gone, forever . . .

+

Han Solo let out a yelp of glee as the last TIE-bombers were destroyed. "Yes!"

"We got em, Han!" Luke shouted, climbing down from the forward quad-lasers to the

cockpit. "We got em all!"

Han pulled his wife - they had only been married for 6 months, but it seemed like much

longer - from the co-pilots seat to fold her into a huge hug. "We outsmarted them again!" he exclaimed.

Chewie, being the big, gruff Wookie that he was, hated hugs. He merely grunted in

enthusiasm from the pilot's seat. Han laughed.

"Rogue Leader to Millennium Falcon," the com called.

Luke punched it. "Falcon here. Nice bit of flyin' there Wedge! Oh, and tell that hot shot of

yours - Rogue 9? - to watch his tail."

"I'll tell him that," Wedge Antilles confirmed. "Luke, you'd better get a tractor locked

onto that . . . thing. Is it some kind of freighter? I'm not really sure. Anyway, it doesn't look very good. Might want to send Chewbacca over when we hit base, to stabilize their hyperdrive."

"'Course, Wedge," Luke said. "We'll get right on it. See you when we get home, Falcon

out." He tapped the com panel again.

"Chewie, move into tractor range," Han commanded. The Wookie co-pilot let out a whine.

"C'mon, Chewie, I know the tractor beam hasn't been tested yet, but what harm can it do?"

Chewbacca howled an answer, and Han sighed. "I don't need all the gory details! Look,

forget I asked. Geez, sometimes you remind me of that droid!" Solo complained, obviously

referring to C-3PO. Chewbacca barked an angry response and Han exclaimed, "Sorry! Forget it and lock on the tractor beam, okay?!"

"What did he say?" Leia asked Han quietly as the Wookie began towing the ship home.

"You don't want to know," Han muttered, equally as quiet as his wife.

With the unidentified ship carefully secured, the Millennium Falcon and the Rogue

Squadron resumed their heading to the New Republic capital of Coruscant, leaving the rubble of the TIE-fighters, as well as several pieces of the Cochrane's hull, behind.

+

Janeway sat, head supported in hands, in the conference lounge, with her remaining senior

staff clustered around the table. She sighed. "What do we do now? We've lost our Chief Engineer, our most experienced pilot, and Harry . . . Oh, God, what am I supposed to tell his mother when we get home?!"

Chakotay watched her in pity. He knew how it felt to loose crew members - it had happened

to him so many times in the Maquis - and frankly, he didn't envy her position. At all. B'Elanna was his friend, and he wasn't about to give up without proof.

Lieutenant Carrey, who now replaced B'Elanna Torres as Chief Engineer, spoke up angrily.

"We can't just let these people get by with murder! We have to go in and avenge their deaths – take a couple of those fighters and send them to hell, where they belong!"

"From what I have gathered from Lieutenant Torres' final message, we know that these

fighters are at a technological level similar to Earth's during the 22nd century. They have sublight speeds and extra-solar travel. The Prime Directive prevents us from attacking these individuals. Indeed, it prevents us from even making contact with the fighters, since their technology rating is merely a C on the Richter Scale of Culture," Tuvok countered in his sensible Vulcan way.

"Oh," Carrey replied quietly, entirely unnerved by the Vulcan's logical response. 

"I must also take this moment to remind you," Tuvok continued, "that Lieutenant Torres

specifically informed us to avoid the area at all costs' before she was killed. We must respect her final wishes, and her warning. There may be some other, greater hazard in the vicinity of the Cochrane's destruction."

The argument went on. {Personally,} Chakotay thought, {I agree with Carrey. Avenging

people's deaths is what I've been doing for years. B'Elanna certainly should be given that honor. But what's better for this ship, and all 135 lives aboard her?}

Abruptly, Captain Janeway announced her decision - the final decision. "I have decided to

proceed to the site of the Cochrane's destruction to begin an investigation, and to conduct memorial services. You, Tuvok, are in charge of that investigation. Use any personnel you require - just get to the bottom of this." She stood. "Dismissed."

Silently, Chakotay agreed with her. As they all filed onto the bridge, Janeway turned to the

ensign at CONN, and looked slightly embarrassed. {Oh, no!} Chakotay thought, {She can't remember his name!}

"Ensign," she said shakily, "set a course for the site of the Cochrane's destruction, warp

7. Har- . . . Ensign Hensley will feed you the information from Ops."

As Voyager soared away to the battle site, Chakotay glanced over at the captain, who was

leaning back in her chair, a saddened look on her face. {How will we ever get through this loss? Will we be able to keep the crew together?} Chakotay sighed. Only time would tell.

+

Captain Janeway was called back to the bridge three hours later. "Captain," some unknown

ensign reported, "We have reached the site of the battle."

Janeway sighed, wondering why she couldn't remember the officer's name. "I'll be right

there," she responded, slapping her pin. She turned to Neelix. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to try your Voyager Delight ice cream later, Neelix. It does sound delightful, though," she assured him.

"That's fine with me, Captain," he responded, always eager to please. "Duty first, of

course. Just don't forget to come down for dinner. Toe Jam Pie - my favorite Mon Calamari dish!"

"It sounds enticing, Neelix," she said, hastily exiting. {How could someone possibly try

something called Toe Jam Pie?!} was her thought as she gratefully entered the turbolift.

When she finally reached the bridge, the situation didn't look good. Captain Janeway gazed

out at the remains of her shuttle, her people, and the people who had killed them.

"I have located a portion of the Cochrane's port nacelle," Tuvok reported.

Janeway settled into her chair with a sigh. "Have it beamed to Engineering for Lieutenant

Tor- . . . uh, Lieutenant Carrey to examine. I want a full report in 2 hours. And schedule the

memorial service."

"Aye, Captain," Tuvok responded.

Katheryn Janeway winced. She had done it again. {I can't let that happen - not in front of

the junior officers. I give them strength!} Without another word to anyone, Janeway retreated to the sanctuary of her ready room.

+

Lieutenant Torres had managed to remain conscious for most of the voyage. She hadn't

been very close to the console when it exploded, and so she only received a minor plasma burn on the right side of her face. There would be no scar if they returned to Voyager soon - which wasn't likely, considering her warning.

Tom and Harry, however, were a different story altogether. Ensign Kim, monitoring a

science station in the back, had been hit directly by the console's overload. He hadn't regained consciousness yet, and B'Elanna didn't know about any internal injuries, but she suspected that he would live. 

Tom had been hit square in the back by the over load of the communication console. It had

effectively cut off their message to Voyager, and Captain Janeway probably thought they were dead. {I thought we were dead, too.}

It was a miracle that Lieutenant Paris was still alive. If they didn't get him to a medical

facility soon, he wouldn't make it. And then . . . B'Elanna didn't know what she would do . . .

She glanced out the window again. The Cochrane was still being towed by an old falling

apart freighter, as they had been for the past three days. Just as Lieutenant Torres was about to glance back down at Tom, though, she saw the traces of something familiar. Atmosphere.

"A planet!" she gasped. She yelped aloud in joy for everyone - and no one - to hear.

Grasping Tom's hand tightly, whe whispered, "I'll get you home soon, Tom!"

Soon, the shuttle was surrounded in a deep blue sky. She could feel the vessel rocking

beneath her in the winds. She could go turn on the inertial dampeners, but she was too tired.

Besides, she loved the feeling of the ship's movement.

Moments later, they landed on stable ground. Medcrews - Human medcrews - rushed in.

Lieutenant Torres sank to the ground beside Tom, exhausted. Within minutes, she had been hoisted onto a stretcher, and was headed for the shuttle's hatch.

On a sudden impulse, she reached out and grabbed the hand of a blond man in black -

really, not much older than she was - who was supervising the doctors. B'Elanna felt, for some reason, like she could trust him.

"You have to contact Voyager, tell them we're alive!" Suddenly, something seemed to click it the back of her mind. "Help me, Luke Skywalker," she whispered, "You're our only hope . . ."

With that, she slipped mercifully into unconsciousness, leaving a bewildered Luke

Skywalker staring after her.

+

Leia Organa Solo walked up to her brother. "What was that all about?" she asked,

gesturing out the hatch where the injured had left.

"I don't know," Luke replied. "She seemed to know me. I've never met her. It's hard to

tell, though - those are pretty bad scars."

Leia nodded. "Anyway, I sent Chewie up to the cockpit with C-3PO to see where the

hyperdrive systems are located. This is a pretty weird ship. Luke," Leia asked suddenly, "What's wrong?"

Luke shrugged. "I don't know," he repeated. "It's just . . . well, when she was talking to

me, she told me to call voyager', whatever that means. And then, she asked me for help . . . called me by name."

"And what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing . . . except I don't KNOW her!"

"Settle down, Luke. What exactly did she say?"

"She said Help me, Luke Skywalker, you're our only hope."

"That's strange . . ." Leia mumbled.

"It sure is. I feel as if I should know her, but I don't know why."

Leia was deep in thought. "You know . . . that reminds me of a message I sent to Obi-wan

Kenobi in R2-D2. I wonder what's going on . . . ?"

Before Luke could answer, a shout came from the cockpit of the spacecraft. "Chewbacca, I

assure you, I am not malfunctioning. I am trained in over 6 million forms of communication, but I have never seen anything like this. No, you stupid Wookie! Don't turn me o-" Luke hurried to the front, anxious to find the problem.

In the cockpit, Chewbacca was hunched over a control panel, studying it carefully, and C-

3PO was lying flat on the floor, de-activated. Luke ignored the droid, and glanced at the console in surprise. {These people speak our language! I've heard them! But . . . I can't read this . . .}

"What is it?" Leia asked.

"Writing," Luke said. "I don't think that they're from around here."

+

When B'Elanna woke, she had no idea where she was. "Tom?" she whispered. "Harry?"

She sat up and looked around.

Across the room, a robot suddenly came awake and sped toward her. "I am 2-1B," it said,

eyes glowing a pale yellow, "the medical droid for this facility. I must ask you to lay back down, for your own good."

"Where am I?" B'Elanna demanded.

The droid immediately answered, "I am not authorized to give you that information," in it's

pleasant voice. It rather reminded B'Elanna of Voyager's computer.

Torres ignored it, and pushed herself up off the bed. The room was large, and from the tools

and medical droid, it was obviously an infirmary for a large installation of some sort. {A prison?} B'Elanna thought, {Or just a hospital?}

On another bed, B'Elanna saw someone else waking up. "Tom!" she exclaimed, dashing

over - the medical droid laboring to catch up, and complaining all the way.

Lieutenant Paris grabbed her hand. "B'Elanna! My God, what's going on?!"

"I don't know! I asked that damned robot over there, but he won't tell me a thing!" Torres

said, glancing first at the droid, and then back at Tom.

His eyes suddenly opened wide in surprise. "B'Elanna . . . what happened?"

She hesitated slightly before asking, "What do you mean?"

"Your face," he whispered, sitting up and placing a hand on her cheek. She winced in pain.

"Oh, God, you have so many scars . . ."

2-1B finally caught up with her. "I was about to inform you about your condition, miss.

You have obtained many unhealable scars, possibly in an explosion. The scars on your forehead are the worst by far, but you have another large scar running down the side of your cheek. Now if you will please lie down, I-"

"Shut up," B'Elanna muttered.

Tom held her tightly. "Where are we?" 

"I don't know. Our jailer isn't authorized to give us that information'," she said,

mimicking the droids voice.

Just then, a door opened on the other side of the room.

Two men, a woman, and a large, hairy . . . thing entered the infirmary and headed over to

Tom and B'Elanna. The woman was the first to speak. "Hello, I am Leia Organa Solo, Minister of State for the New Republic. Welcome to Coruscant. And who are you?"

B'Elanna glanced over at the tall, hairy creature, and then back at the Minister of State.

{Great, here's bigfoot,} she thought, {Now I know I'm dead.} "Where's Harry?!" she blurted out, trying to keep her thoughts a secret, just in case.

"Why?" one of the men asked, looking at her suspiciously.

Tom jumped up. "Because he's my brother-in-law, and we're worried about him," he said

quickly, still holding B'Elanna tightly by the hand.

"Then who's your wife?"

"She is," Tom said, gesturing at B'Elanna.

The man nodded. "Of course. And where were you going?"

"Home," Paris said with a shrug.

"And where is that?"

The other man spoke up. "Han, that's enough! We're not interrogating them!" B'Elanna

blushed. This man was the one she'd called Luke Skywalker. {Is that really his name?}

"Sorry about that," he continued. "Like Minister Solo was saying, welcome to Coruscant.

The Minister's husband, Han Solo, and Chewbacca, his co-pilot. My name, as your wife already seems to know, is Luke Skywalker."

"B'Elanna?" Tom asked in a whisper. She shrugged, apologetically.

"You were heading to Caldos Colony?" Luke asked. Tom nodded. Luke sighed at his

answer. "Then I'm sorry to tell you, the Imperials attacked yesterday. They destroyed everything. Since there are no records left, we have no idea who was on the planet. You are probably the only survivors. I'm very sorry."

There was a stunned silence in the infirmary. Finally, B'Elanna asked quietly, "What?

Everything? They killed everyone?" Luke nodded. "But . . . No, that's impossible!"

"It'll take you a while to accept this. I know you'd like to go home and try to pick up the

pieces," Leia said. "At least we found you before you reached Caldos. It's Imperial occupied, now. By the time the New Republic scouts reached the system, it was too late. We had to turn and run."

Luke spoke up again. "Your brother - Harry? - is in the bacta tanks. He'll be out by

tomorrow. He had massive internal bleeding, but we were able to stop it. He'll have scars, but not as bad as yours."

"And your names are . . . ?" Han prompted, impatient.

"Tom and B'Elanna Paris," he answered.

"Belleana," Leia muttered. "It sounds almost Alderaanian."

"It is," B'Elanna answered. "I lived there before Caldos."

Leia smiled. "So did I. Daughter of Senator Bail Organa . . ."

"Oh my gosh!" B'Elanna exclaimed, trying her best to play into the part. "Wow, I didn't

even recognize you! Have I really been on Caldos for that long?"

"Not many people do, anymore." Leia grinned and patted at the long, dark braid curled

around her head. "It must be the new hairstyle . . . Anyways, let me show you to a room."

B'Elanna Torres followed Leia out, listening to a story of Alderaan's privilaged upper class.

"Your wife's from Alderaan?" Han asked.

Paris nodded. "She's proud of it. Very proud. She always wants to go back home, to see

everything again."

"Leia's like that too. It's too bad they can't, Alderaan being destroyed by the Emperor and

all. It's just a big asteroid belt now. I visited there, once. C'mon, let's catch up with the ladies," Han said with a sigh.

Tom was almost in awe. {How can they be fighting people who can destroy an entire planet

. . . ?}

+

"Definitely a piece of the Cochrane," Carrey said. "The markings and composition are

Starfleet. What else could it be?"

"A previously unknown Starfleet vessel in this area," Tuvok answered.

"Now how likely is that, Mr. Tuvok?!" Carrey countered.

Tuvok seemed to sigh in annoyance. It must have just been a trick of the light, though . . .

"The odds in favor of my theory are not good, but, nevertheless, there is still that possibility."

Carrey was annoyed. "Tuvok, this is where the Cochrane was destroyed, and that particular

portion of this ship was damaged when the Cochrane was attacked. What do you think?!"

"Gentlemen, please," Janeway interrupted. "Can we continue on with the meeting now?"

"I was only listing the possibilities, Captain, as unlikely as they are," Tuvok stated.

Janeway sighed. "Of course, Mr. Tuvok. I want some answers to my questions. Now. Why

was our shuttle destroyed?! Who destroyed it?!"

"We think the Cochrane was attacked because it entered this territory. Neelix doesn't

know whose territory this is, or who could've attacked them. We've intercepted no subspace transmissions from anywhere in this area, unfortunately," Chakotay reported with a sigh.

"There is one discovery that you ought to be aware of, Captain," Tuvok added. "We do

not believe that the destroyed fighters were the one which attacked Cochrane. In Lieutenant Torres' description, they were X-shaped. These ships have, approximately, an H-shaped body." A reconstruction of one of the fighters appeared on the conference room viewer, and Tuvok proceeded to describe the parts of the vessel. "Therefore, I conclude that these ships were already wrecked, or came to Cochrane's aid at some point during the battle."

"Thank you, Tuvok. Any other opinions?" Janeway asked.

Any replies were cut short, as the red alert siren sounded. The senior staff dashed onto the

bridge, relieving the junior officer of their posts.

"Ensign," the captain called back to Hensley, "What is the reason for this red alert?" 

The Engineer, a close Maquis friend of B'Elanna's who had been particularly shocked by

her death, began speaking unsteadily. "A ship has appeared on sensors, Captain."

"But why red alert?!" she demanded.

"That ship is armed to the teeth, with all weapons and shields on line - and it's, uh, heading

right for us," she reported shakily.

The captain took her seat. "On screen, Ensign." The ship appeared, and Janeway had to

concentrate to keep her mouth from hanging open in awe. "Ensign, I hope you're enlarging that."

"No, Captain, I'm not! The ship measures 1.6 kilometers in length!" Hensley struggled to

say.

After a moment of silence, Janeway was once again on her feet. "Open a hailing frequency,

Mr. K - Hensley." Janeway paused with a tired sigh. "This is Captain Katheryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager."

"They are responding, Captain . . . Sir, we don't need a Universal Translator! They're

speaking perfect English - er, Federation Standard!"

Although she hated being called "sir", Janeway ignored Hensley's slip up. {Federation

Standard . . .} "On screen!" she called.

A man in a olive gray jumpsuit appeared on the viewer. "Captain Janeway, I am Grand

Admiral Thrawn. Captain . . . did you destroy our TIE-fighters?"

+

As soon as the door closed, B'Elanna turned and grabbed Tom by the front of the medical

tunic he was still wearing. "What in hell were you THINKING!?!"

"Easy, B'Elanna!" he exclaimed, trying pry her strong Klingon hands off the delicate

fabric. "I only thought -"

"You only thought what?!" Lieutenant Torres released the medical gown with a shove,

sending Tom sprawling on the floor.

He jumped up quickly and took a step back, trying to stay out of the angry half-Klingon's

way. "I just thought . . . I mean, if we . . . maybe . . ."

"If we . . ." she growled, in full Klingon mode.

Paris tried to compose himself as he took another step backward. "Uh . . . If we made them

believe we were all related . . . maybe they wouldn't split us up?"

"Nice try," she nearly hissed. Finally, she seemed to cool down a bit. Looking out the one

window in room, she said sadly, "If Voyager was going to come, they would already be here. They've given up." She sighed and turned back to Paris. "You saw the Cochrane, Tom. It's irreparable. And even if it was, we'd never be able to catch up now."

"They haven't given up! They would've gone to the site of the attack, found that none of

the shuttle is there . . . and they would've traced us here!" He said frantically.

B'Elanna shook her head. "You're forgetting - I told them to stay far away from here."

"Captain Janeway wouldn't listen to that," Tom said. 

"The communications console blew up. From the other end, it probably looked as if the

entire shuttle was lost. And how could they trace us? Our engines weren't used. Tom . . . it's time to give up. Try our best to fit in here."

"Then you're saying . . . we're stuck here?" Tom asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes," she whispered, turning back to the window. "We're stuck here."

+

The Holodeck was packed. Everyone was sitting in a re-creation of the Torres family home

on Kessik IV. Most of the 18 Maquis in the room had served with B'Elanna on Chakotay's ship since she left Starfleet.

"-and we've all been with her for a long time. I know none of us will ever forget her. She

saved us all many times. And yes, she had bad temper," -there were chuckles from around the room- "but let's remember her for the good times," Chakotay finished.

"Amen, Reverend," one of the Humans said. Several of the others with Terran origins

laughed, and several Bajorans looked over at Chakotay in confusion.

He shrugged. "Private joke, I guess."

"Remember the time we ambushed that Cardassian warship?" Hensley, one of Tuvok's

student's in his mini-Academy course, suddenly asked.

"The Galor-class one? Of course! It would've pulverized our entire cell!"

"If it hadn't been for B'Elanna," Chakotay added.

"If it hadn't been for B'Elanna," Hensley echoed sadly.

"She was in a really bad mood."

"Having problems with the weapons systems, if I remember correctly. Couldn't get them

up to full power for anything!"

"Yeah - and then it got worse."

"Overload!" everyone chorused.

Chell, the only Bolian on Voyager, sighed in remembrance. "Told us to abandon ship. We

did - but B'Elanna stayed. Klingon pride or just plain stubbornness, I don't know, but she stayed. Piloted a collision course. We barely got her off that ship alive! She blew that Cardassian ship out of the sky!"

"She once told me," Hensley admitted, "that when she died, she'd go out fighting. Said

she'd take a couple of the damned Cardies with her."

Suddenly, a voice spoke up quietly from the back. "This isn't right. I can't believe she's

gone like this."

"None of us can really believe it, Jarron," Chakotay said, surprised that the quiet Bajoran

had even spoken.

"No," Jarron said, surprising everyone further. He barely spoke a sentence at a time.

"That's not what I was saying. She might be gone, but something's wrong with this. B'Elanna always said that when she went out, she'd take some of the scum with her. If what Tuvok and Captain Janeway said is true, then she was killed without destroying any of their ships."

"What if the other ships were just plain stronger than our shuttle?" someone asked.

Hensley shook her head. "They weren't. I was at Ops when the message came in. She said

that the fighters' technology level was about at Earth's at the end of our 21st century. According to my calculations, it would take more than 10 of those ships to destroy Cochrane - and at least 6 of those ships would also be destroyed."

"Yet there was no rubble from any other ships, just the TIE-fighters, and the Cochrane. But

even stranger, the only parts we've found from the Cochrane are chunks of the port nacelle, and one outer hull plate from the port side, just above the nacelle. So where's the rest of our shuttle?"

Jarron glanced over at Hensley, who nodded. "We have a theory. A theory about what really happened to B'Elanna, Tom, and Harry. And a theory about why our shuttle is missing."

Hensley stood up to get everyone's attention. "Jarron and I believe that the mysterious X-

wings' were not the ones who attacked and destroyed the Cochrane." Hensley looked directly at Chakotay as she continued. "They were killed by this Empire'."

"What?!" Chell exclaimed in disbelief. "But - but we're working with them! Their ships

were destroyed too!"

"You know . . . they don't seem to care. Maybe they have been lying to us," Crewman

Dalby said carefully.

"Exactly!" Jarron exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "This is what we think happened: a

group of TIE-fighters found the Cochrane searching the solar system for dilithium. Not knowing exactly what it was, they decided it was a new weapon created by the X-wings and their Rebellion'. They attacked. After a long and hard battle, after the Cochrane destroyed a third of the TIE-fighters, the shields of the Cochrane buckled. With a lucky shot, one TIE-fighter took out Cochrane's weapons, another fatally damaged her life support systems. B'Elanna quickly recorded a message, sent to Voyager, which was cut short by an overload of the communications console. Our crew was then killed, either by several systems overloads, a hull breach, or a lack of air." Jarron choked up, and Hensley continued for him.

"One thing is for certain, though: before our crew died, leaving a derelict shuttle, a squadron of X-wings attempted to save Cochrane. Perhaps they thought it was one of their own. They destroyed the rest of the TIE-fighters, and tractored our ship, B'Elanna, Tom, and Harry's bodies still aboard, back to their home," she finished.

"There is a possibility with this scenario," Jarron said, a glimmer of hope showing in his eyes. "Our crew may still be alive! If the life support systems remained on line, there is that chance. Torres, Paris, Kim: one of them may've somehow survived the attack. Maybe all of them. It may not be a big chance . . . but at least there is one!"

Chakotay was stunned. {It all makes perfect sense now! Why hasn't anyone else thought of this?} "Perhaps," he said slowly, "our memorial service was premature."

+

Tom Paris awoke to the sound of someone crying. Which was impossible, considering the

only other person in the room was Klingon, and therefore couldn't cry. Or could she?

It was still the middle of the night. Paris glanced out the window from his position on the

floor, and saw stars. He wondered idly if this world had any moon.

He heard the sobbing again, and considered doing something about it. {What if it is

B'Elanna? Will she even want any help?} He finally decided that he had to do something. He couldn't just lay there!

"B'Elanna?" he whispered, moving over to sit on the edge of the bed. "Is something

wrong?"

She sniffed, and wiped away tears. "What do you want?" she asked defensively, sitting up

slowly.

"I just want to know if something's wrong?" Paris repeated. "Why are you crying?"

"I want to go home!" she moaned softly. She slipped into Tom's arms and started sobbing

harder.

"B'Elanna," he said, brushing damp hair out of her face, "what's going on? I thought

Klingons couldn't cry. Is it because of your Human half?"

B'Elanna shook her head. "No, Klingons can't cry. And neither can I!" she sobbed.

"Tom, what's happening to me?!"

"I wish I knew, B'Elanna," he said quietly, holding her tightly. "But I don't."

+

Captain Katheryn Janeway sat in an enormous conference room on the Star Destroyer.

Tuvok sat on her right, Chakotay on her left.

Across the table was Grand Admiral Thrawn, the highest ranking man in the Empire since

the Emperor's murder, his commander, and his Jedi, Joruus C'baoth - whatever that was.

"So you still insist that your TIE-fighters had nothing to do with the attack?" Janeway

asked with a sigh.

"I assure you, Captain, my fighters were sent out only after we intercepted a transmission

from a group of rebel x-wings. They were up to their usual terrorism, and they believed your shuttle was some type of new Imperial weapon. They were probably trying to destroy it because of that. X-wings are extremely maneuverable. Perhaps they slipped away from your shuttle's weapons officer."

"Not B'Elanna," Chakotay said, glaring at Thrawn. "Nothing ever gets past her."

The Grand Admiral shrugged. "There are ways, First Officer Chakotay."

"Do you believe that our shuttle may still be intact?" Tuvok queried.

"It could be." The Grand Admiral shrugged again. "If it is, then I'm afraid your shuttle is

in the hands of the Rebellion."

Tuvok nodded. "Is it possible there may be a survivor?"

"No," Thrawn said a little too quickly. "If the - what was it, life support? - didn't give out,

the hull wasn't breached, and the console overloads didn't kill them all, the radiation would've."

Janeway glanced at Chakotay, and the said humbly, "Grand Admiral, I don't think you

quite understand. One of my officers, whom I sent aboard that shuttle, was not Human."

"You mean . . . like him?" the obviously xenophobic commander asked, pointing at Tuvok.

"No," Captain Janeway said, annoyed with the mousey little man. "Tuvok is a Vulcan.

B'Elanna Torres is - was? - a Klingon, and Klingons have a slightly higher resistance to radiation than we do."

"With the levels of radiation we're talking about," master C'baoth said, surprising

everyone with his first words since the conference had begun, "a slight resistance wouldn't make any difference. Believe me, Captain." Joruus C'baoth's words were forceful, and had a surprising effect on Captain Janeway.

For the first time since Chakotay had met her, Katheryn Janeway was flustered. "I believe

you, Master C'baoth," she mumbled.

C'baoth nodded to Thrawn, and he smiled. "Good. I propose that we work together. We

will find your shuttle, you can help us against this minor rebellion."

Once again, Janeway surprised Chakotay - and especially Tuvok - with her answer. "That

sounds like a good idea."

{No!} Chakotay thought frantically. {Something's wrong! She can't be doing this! She's

violating her own precious Prime Directive by agreeing to this!}

"I'll return to my ship now." Janeway and her two officer's stood, Chakotay steaming in

anger. The captain tapped her pin. "Janeway to Voyager. Three to beam up."

They shimmered and disappeared, much to the surprise and amusement of Dark Jedi Joruus

C'baoth.

+

As soon as Janeway and the others beamed back, Chakotay jumped off the transporter

platform in front of the captain. "We agreed we couldn't use the transporter in front of them!"

"Since we're working with them, they'll have to get used to it." Janeway turned and

headed for the door.

Chakotay caught up with Janeway again, and grabbed her by the shoulder. "Beaming in

front of them is in direct violation of the Prime Directive! And working with them - a C culture – is even worse!"

"Don't tell me about the Prime Directive, Chakotay!" she yelled. "I know what I'm

doing!"

"What about the shuttle?! What about B'Elanna?! We have evidence that they're still

alive!" Chakotay pleaded.

"They're dead, Commander!" she exclaimed. "Dead! She's gone, Commander, and

there's nothing you can do about it! You're chasing ghosts, Chakotay! Now get your hand the hell away from my shoulder!'

Chakotay jerked his hand back, as if burned, and Janeway stormed out of the transporter

room, a clump of hair flapping out of her bun. Tuvok followed her, looking as if he was having trouble hiding his anger.

Hensley, who was manning the transporter console, came down to clap Chakotay on the

back. "No good?"

He sighed. "No good. She doesn't believe us. Well . . . she did. Until that Joruus C'baoth

guy convinced her otherwise."

"So what do we do now?"

"We do what the Maquis have always done: wait, plan, and find allies."

"And then what?"

Chakotay stared coldly at the door his friend - no, not friend any longer. The door his

Captain exited out of. "And then, when the time is right, we mutiny." 


	2. Part Two

A/N: Ahh, illogical plot developments... I'd forgotten just how silly this story really was... I hope you're enjoying this journey back to 1995! 

Part Two

B'Elanna let out a whoop of exhilaration. {It's just like being in the Maquis again!} Her 

X-wing veered under a TIE-fighter, nearly on a collision course, and prompted evasive action on the part of the TIE-fighter's pilot. He banked left - straight into a TIE-bomber, causing both to explode.

"Nice flying, Red Six," her com reported.

"Thanks, Five," she responded with a grin. "Try watchin' your backside more closely,

Tom. That one almost had you."

"Thanks for your advice, Six," Tom said wryly. "I'll try to keep it in mind. Five out."

Half the TIE-fighters were destroyed, and not a single X-wing had been downed. With so

few enemy fighters left, B'Elanna hoped to keep it that way.

Almost simultaneously, one of the remaining TIE's took up pursuit of Red Seven.

"Harry!" B'Elanna hollered over the com, "You've got a Squint. I'm coming!"

The TIE-Interceptor started pulling in closer. "Seven, watch it!" Red Leader called. "Pull

up! Before he gets any closer!"

"I can shake im!" Kim reported.

"Seven, pull out now! Before it's too late! That's an order!"

"Leader, the squint's in too close! If I pull up, I'll hit im!"

A barrage of laser fire ripped across the back of Harry's X-wing, and he panicked. "My

astromech was hit! I'm blind!"

"Harry!" B'Elanna shouted again, "Just hang on! Pull out to your right!" his X-wing

listed to the left - directly into the path of an Eyeball. And the TIE-fighter wasn't moving. "Right, Harry, right!"

When he didn't respond, she desperately tried to accelerate. She pushed all the power

available in the little fighter - and more - into one final, frantic attempt to reach Harry. But it was too late. Harry's X-wing blossomed into a small nova as he collided with the passing Eyeball.

"Harry!" she shrieked, wheeling her X-wing about to blast the Duce pursuing Red Leader.

The TIE-bomber's explosion rocked her X-wing out of control. By the time she regained control, an interceptor was onto her.

"Red Six," Red Three, the only other female pilot, announced, "you've got a Squint! Pull

out!"

B'Elanna scanned the battlefield quickly. Only three of the enemy fighters remained: two

interceptors and a bomber. An idea suddenly dawned on her. "Tom, try evasive Delta-pi."

"What? Oh, Delta-pi! Yes, ma'am!" he called enthusiastically.

"What?!" Red Leader exclaimed. "Six, what does that mean?!"

B'Elanna smiled as she executed a sharp 180 degree turn. "Just take the Duce. We can

handle the Squints." {This must be the oldest trick in the book,} she thought, {but the fancy codes will confuse people monitoring communications. They'll never guess we just performed this maneuver!} She sent her X-wing into a nose dive under the Squint which had been pursuing her.

The pilot pulled up - and crashed into the interceptor Tom had chased over. Seconds later,

Red 2 and Red 9 were successful in destroying the last Duce. The scenario was over. The New Republic was victorious.

Screens in the X-wings turned black, and the top of B'Elanna's mock-up opened. Luke

Skywalker peered in. "What's Delta-pi?" he demanded.

"Uh . . . it's a code name for the maneuver Tom and I just performed," B'Elanna

explained.

"Yeah, I heard you say that. I also heard you say something about Imperials monitoring our

communications. How could someone monitor our in-squad communications?! That's impossible! And where did you learn that maneuver, anyway? I've never seen it before! It sure isn't the oldest trick in the book'!"

She blushed, hoping she didn't look guilty. She had slipped up, seriously - and there was

no way out of this one. With only a few words, she had . . . {Wait! I didn't say anything!}

"You didn't say . . . ?" Luke glanced at her confused stare. "Then . . . by the Force . . ."

he whispered. As if in a trance, he turned and left the training area, leaving B'Elanna to puzzle over his words.

+

Chakotay took a deep breath and held it as he stepped from the turbolift to the bridge.

Childish notions of mutiny fled from his mind: it was time to face the captain. As first officer, he had the power to relieve the captain of duty, if he saw reason: and the past four months of working with the Empire had given him plenty of reasons.

"Captain," he asked quietly as he walked down in front of the command chair, "may I

speak with you - in private?"

Captain Janeway set down the PADD she had been reading and stood in a brisk military

fashion. "Lt. Tuvok, you have the bridge. I'll be in my ready room."

As soon as the ready room door slid shut, Janeway seemed to turn on him. "What is it now,

Commander?!" she exclaimed, exasperated

Chakotay took another deep breath. {This is it.} "Captain, I think it's time we had a talk."

"About what?" she asked crossly, starting to pace.

"This continued alliance with the Empire. It's not right. When my crew joined yours, we

decided to follow Starfleet rules. But lately, you've been ignoring the most important one: the Prime Directive."

"Chakotay," she sighed, "the benefits of the Prime Directive pale in comparison to the

benefits of this alliance."

"Captain," Chakotay said slowly, "What are we getting out of this relationship?"

She stopped pacing suddenly. Chakotay realized what was happening. {She doesn't know

what to say. She doesn't have the answer to that question.} After a long, uncomfortable silence, Janeway turned from the window to answer, her voice nearly mechanical. "A home, Chakotay."

"What?!" he exclaimed. "But what about the last three and a half years we've spent

searching for a way home?! Will you so easily forget everything and everyone we've left behind?!"

"No, Chakotay, I'll never forget Mark and the Starfleet rules I believed in. But it's time to

move on," she reasoned. She moved around her desk and sat before continuing. "Here, we've found a colony of . . . well, they're as Human as you and I. And, frankly . . . I'm sick of this journey. By the time we reach the Alpha Quadrant, I'll be dead. And how can you back an act that will never benefit you - it will continue to cost lives, how many more can we loose? And what about the children who will eventually reach our home? Voyager will be all they've known, they'll never fit in. It's time we decided to settle down."

Chakotay clenched his hands into fists, the only visible sign that he was angered. "Captain,

why don't we take a vote. The people who wish to go on can take Voyager and continue-"

Janeway leapt to her feet. "Commander, this is not a democracy, this is Starfleet! I am the

captain, and the crew will follow my orders! Is that clear?!"

"Lately, Captain, the orders you've been giving have been dangerously wrong. This alliance

can harm both our crew, and the people of this area. You're ignoring their needs. You've even been thinking about giving these people our technology, haven't you? I can't allow you to do this, and as first officer, it's my duty to make sure your orders are safe for all parties involved, and within Starfleet parameters. And your orders are not."

"What? Chakotay, you can't possibly-"

Commander Chakotay cut her off. "I am asking you to step down, Captain. And if you do

not, we will remove you from command."

"Commander, this sounds dangerously close to mutiny."

"It is my duty to do what is best for the crew - and that's getting as far from the Empire as

possible. And if that means removing you from command, then so be it."

"I will not step down." Her tone was firm. Chakotay didn't hear the slightest hint of

hesitation in the captain's voice.

"Then you leave me no choice." Chakotay reached up to hit his combadge.

Janeway stopped him by plucking the badge off his uniform. "No, Commander, you leave

me no choice. I believe you to be a danger to my crew. You are hereby confined to quarters until further notice." She hit her combadge. "Janeway to Tuvok. Please escort Chakotay to his quarters and post a guard outside."

Tuvok marched into Janeway's ready room, and grabbed Chakotay by the arm. As he was

led away, Chakotay glanced to see Captain Janeway's haughty gaze following him. The door closed.

+

Paris reached his quarters to find B'Elanna sitting at the computer terminal gazing intently

at the screen. "What's goin' on?" he asked, ruffling her hair.

She absent-mindedly smoothed it down. "That would explain everything," she muttered to

herself.

Ever curious, he pulled over a chair and sat down. "Explain what?"

"Just listen. Remember Skywalker introducing himself as a Jedi Master? Well today, right

after the battle drill, he asked me how the TIE- fighters could monitor our communications.

Apparently, he heard me say something about how our codes - you know, Delta-Pi and such - would confuse their monitors. But-"

Tom cut her off with a brisk shake of his head. "You didn't say anything of the sort. I was

listening. Where did he pick that up?"

B'Elanna sighed. "That's what I've been trying to tell you. That's what I thought. I didn't

say it, I thought it! So, I came back here, and looked up Jedi'. Here, read this." She pointed to a line of script on the terminal screen.

Paris flushed. "Uh . . . B'Elanna, I'm still learning how . . . "

"Well, you'd better learn to read it soon! It's the language we're gonna have to live with for the rest of our lives! It's a blessing they speak and spell in Standard. But, anyway, let me read it to you. I don't know what to make of this." She turned back to the screen. "This is how Jedi abilities are described: Jedi Knights are apt telekinetics, and are capable of limited telepathy with other Jedi and Jedi potentials.' Now tell me, Tom - what does it mean?"

"If it means what I think it means . . ." he said carefully, "then you're a Jedi." 

+

"She's a Jedi potential," Luke said.

"What?!" Leia exclaimed. "But . . . it's impossible! How would you know that? How?!

We're the last of the Jedi!"

"Not the last!" Luke said. "The first! The first of a new order! The potentials are out there

- and it's up to us to find them."

"But the Emperor and Darth Vader hunted down the Jedi!" Leia stated.

Luke sighed, frustrated by her close-minded approach to everything. "Ben survived. So did

Yoda. If they could survive, others could."

"Yes," Leia agreed, "but they were Jedi Masters!"

"All Jedi received the same training. And do you forget the Guardians?"

Leia laughed in contempt at that suggestion. "Guardians. They're just a myth. All of the

Jedi were Human. Even you know that."

"And that's an assumption the Emperor spread. Enter all situations with an open mind.

Yoda wasn't Human."

Leia seemed a bit confused. "He wasn't Human?"

"Have you ever seen a two-foot tall, green Human?" Luke asked.

"He was . . . green . . ." Leia said hesitantly. "How come you never mentioned this to

me?"

Luke shrugged. "Guess I didn't think of it. But Belleana is Human, so it doesn't really

matter. If Ben could survive, her parents could. And Caldos is the perfect place to hide - almost as far out as Tatooine from the Galactic Center."

"And if she is a Jedi, how do you suggest telling her this?"

He smiled. "I was just about to head down to her floor. I'll just tell her. She's been

through an Imperial attack, I think she can handle this news."

+

Chakotay sat in his room. Four weeks he had been sitting there, waiting for a favorable

report from Hensley. The crew would mutiny, but only when the time was right. And if they had to, they would leave the Captain behind, to live with her wonderful Empire. If only it wasn't necessary - but that was only wishful thinking.

His thoughts strayed back to B'Elanna. She had been a good friend, the best. There was

still a possibility that she was alive out there, though it was one in a million. He couldn't give up on her, not after everything she had done for him. She had saved his life so many times, but he had been unable to save hers . . .

"Damn," he whispered. His thoughts kept straying along this path, always remembering

how much he owed B'Elanna, and how he would never be able to repay her. {But,} he told himself, {self-pity can lead to instability. And what I definitely don't need right now is to be unstable.}

The door chimed. "Yes?" he asked hopefully, wondering if it was finally Hensley.

It wasn't. The door slid open to admit Tuvok. Chakotay scowled at the Security Chief.

"And what does Janeway want now?"

"Nothing," Tuvok said tonelessly. "I am here of my own accord."

"Then what do you want?"

Tuvok stepped across the room to face Chakotay. "I wish to help you. I am unsatisfied with

your performance over the past weeks. You have not been acting like yourself. I wish to perform a mind touch. It is not so deep as a mind-meld, but will tell me if you are being affected in any way by members of the Empire."

"You want to check and see if I'm being controlled by an alien," Chakotay said wryly.

"In essence, yes. May I?"

Chakotay sighed. "If it'll convince you I'm sane, go ahead."

Tuvok touched Chakotay's head, a serious expression on his face, then drew back. "You

are fine."

"That was it?!" Chakotay exclaimed.

Tuvok seemed confused. "Yes, of course. It is quite simple, and does not tell me everything

about you. I can only sense what is on the surface of your consciousness."

"Oh," Chakotay said, not quite understanding. After a moment of silent thought, he asked,

"Tuvok, what do you think of Janeway's orders since we encountered this ship?"

Tuvok lifted an eyebrow. "I do not agree with her decisions, but she is the captain, and

knows what she is doing."

Chakotay sighed. "Yes, normally I understand her orders, but since the moment we

encountered the Empire, I've not been the only one questioning her orders."

"It does seem to be an unbelievable coincidence."

"Is it possible that she is the one being influenced by the Empire?"

Tuvok pondered that for a moment. "I suppose so, but if she were the one, I doubt she

would let me touch her mind."

"Must you touch her forehead?" Chakotay asked hopefully.

"No. I am a touch telepath, I must come in contact with her skin."

Chakotay puzzled over that. "If you were to accidentally' bump into her on the bridge or

in the hall, would you have enough time to search?"

Tuvok seemed deep in thought. "Yes, I do believe that would be sufficient."

"Then do it! If she's being influenced, we have an actual reason to take her from command.

It will also get us as far away from the Empire as possible."

"Does this mean you have given up on the missing shuttle crew?"

"No," Chakotay said sadly. "I think they're alive. They'll find a way to survive."

+

{God, I wish Chakotay was here,} B'Elanna thought. It had been exactly four weeks since

Luke Skywalker had come to her doorstep and suddenly informed her that she had supernatural powers - and had immediately taken her under his wing, teaching her about the Force her powers originated from. She sighed. {He knows so much more about religions than I do.} Her doubts about the existence of this Force' were overwhelming.

"Who's that man your thoughts keep returning to?" Luke asked. "I've noticed his image

in your mind several times."

{Chakotay?} she thought. {How will I explain him?} "He's my father," she stuttered, the

only excuse she could come up with.

"It must have been difficult losing him. I've noticed you longing for him to be here. I was

there when my own father died. He turned to the Dark Side, when I was very, very young. I doubt I was even born, though I'll never know for sure. In his last moments, though, he turned against his master, the Emperor, to save my life. In doing so, he turned back to the Light. I'm . . . very proud of what he was able to do in his final moments . . ."

"And how come I never knew about these powers?" she asked, steering away from such an

uncomfortable subject.

"Where do you think you got those amazing engineering skills? You modified that entire

Imperial shuttle for your own use!" Luke exclaimed.

B'Elanna was ashamed of her lie. {There was no other was to explain the shuttle,} she

assured herself. "And I thought those traits were hereditary," she said wryly.

"Since your father was also a mechanic, I assume you're from a line of mechanically

inclined Jedi. We have most of the Alderaanian records, and so we know there were quite a few Jedi on Alderaan, and at least four were unaccounted for.

"But how come Harry isn't a Jedi, too?"

"The ability to sense the Force can skip a generation, for reasons I'm unsure of. But now,"

Luke said, getting back to her lesson, "try to lift that vase over there. Let the Force flow through you, and relax. You're too tense."

B'Elanna sighed and took a deep breath, thinking of Chakotay's meditation exercises.

"Clear your mind. You're not focused on the vase."

She tried to relax, and closed her eyes.

She could almost feel Luke smiling as he said, "You're doing it. Now bring it over to me."

B'Elanna nodded.

"Good, good."

She heard the vase clunk as she rested it on the table. "I'm going to put it back on the shelf

now." As she lifted the vase back up, the door opened.

"B'Elanna!" Tom exclaimed.

B'Elanna's eyes snapped open to find Tom staring at the vase. Her concentration

elsewhere, the elegant vase fell and shattered on the floor.

Luke frowned. "It seems we have a little work to do."

+

Tuvok dashed into Chakotay's quarters, breaking his meditative state. {I was calling on

B'Elanna's spirit . . . I could almost feel her . . . This had better be good.}

"She is influenced!" Tuvok exclaimed.

Chakotay could've sworn that he was flustered . . . but it must've been a trick of the light.

"Are you sure?"

"I am positive. We must remove her from command immediately."

"And alert whomever's controlling her? Never. Tuvok, we have to wait until the time's

right."

Tuvok frowned. "Whomever is controlling her is extremely powerful. And Commander,

there are Imperial soldiers on the bridge!"

Chakotay jumped up. "What?! Stormtroopers on the bridge?!"

"Yes. It seems the captain has been working without our permission," Tuvok said. "I

suggest we work as swiftly as possible."

"We're not in a good position to do that right now, Tuvok - especially if there are Imperial

Troopers up there. They would kill whomever mutinied. You know that, don't you?"

Tuvok nodded. "We can not just sit here, though. We must do something."

Chakotay frowned. He hadn't wanted to tell Tuvok this, but . . . "Tuvok, Ensign Hensley

and I have been planning a mutiny for the past month. We're just waiting for the right time to implement our plan. Let me tell you about it . . ."


	3. Part Three

A/N: Blah blah, this is old, blah blah, I don't own the characters anyway. Another irrational plot twist occurs...

Part Three

Kes sighed as she walked down the halls of Voyager to Commander Chakotay's quarters.

Voyager had been turned into an extension of the Imperial Star Destroyer outside. Stormtroopers marched down the halls, at the whim of Captain Janeway, sent to replace the many officers lost over the past years. Kes didn't like the Stormtroopers. They had a mental . . . flavor that wasn't right. {They feel as if they aren't there!}

Six months ago, Kes would've never guessed she would be spearheading a mutiny. Neelix

had sided with Captain Janeway, for some odd reason, and after Janeway had thrown Hensley and Tuvok in the brig for plotting a mutiny, there was no one left to be in charge. So Kes had stepped in.

The Imperials reminded her too much of the Kazon-Ogla, who had imprisoned her before

Voyager came. She didn't want to live under their rule any more than she wanted to live with the Kazon. 

When Chakotay had first offered her the position, she had refused. Spearhead a mutiny?

Never! But then, after a week of being ordered around by Janeway in the same matter as the Kazon, she changed her mind.

She finally reached Chakotay's quarters. "I'm bringing Chakotay his dinner," she told the

Stormtrooper guarding the door. He nodded and let her enter. "Chakotay?" she whispered,

looking around.

"I'm here." He stepped out of his bedroom. "Any word from Carrey?"

"He said that Engineering is with you. Everyone."

Chakotay was silent for a moment, thinking. "How many?" he asked finally.

"All of Engineering, half of Security, two thirds of Science . . . plus me and the Doc . . ."

she paused to calculate. "We have 98 troops capable of fighting - if we must."

"Oh, we will," he assured her. "How about our opposition?"

"There are 55 Stormtroopers currently aboard, but I heard talk from Jarron that she was

going to bring at least 50 more over - and send most of Engineering to the Chimaera to begin upgrading their ship to Starfleet standards. That sends us down by about 20."

Chakotay frowned. "The time will have to come soon. Less than 80 to more than 100 . . .

and the Stormtroopers are all trained fighters . . ." He sighed. "Gods, what I wouldn't give to have B'Elanna here. She'd know exactly how to plan this."

Kes nodded. "I know how much she meant to you, Chakotay. If she's out there, we'll find

her."

+

"It's not a good idea, Mon Mothma," Leia said with a sigh.

"Maybe it's not, but we need to remind the Bpfasshi that the New Republic is willing and

able to assist them, if they're ever attacked by the Imperials. Bpfassh is terribly close to the Core Worlds. I want to take Blue Squadron with me. We need to take those new pilots out, and a patrol close to the border will be perfect."

Leia swallowed uncomfortably. "Um . . . Mon Mothma . . ."

"Is there a problem with that, Leia?"

"Luke's new Jedi is in Blue Squadron . . ."

Mon Mothma sighed. "After what the Dark Jedi did to Bpfassh during the Clone Wars, I

wouldn't blame them for not liking Jedi. But they don't know that Parris is a Jedi. And she needs this type of training just as much as the others."

"I guess . . . if Luke says it's okay to take her along . . ."

Mon Mothma smiled wanly. "I already asked him. It's fine."

"Mon Mothma!" Leia exclaimed.

"Well, do I have to get your permission for everything?"

Leia flushed. "I . . . just thought you would talk to me first about something like this!"

"I thought it wasn't necessary, that's all. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to pack. I'll be

gone for about a week or so. If I'm not back after two weeks . . . well, I probably won't be coming back. Bpfassh is safe though. I'll send a message if I'll be gone for longer. Oh, and Leia, could you tell the pilots for me?"

+

"Bpfassh? Where's that?" Belleana asked.

Leia sighed. She'd gotten the same response from all of the other pilots. "It's a small

planet near the Core worlds - not extremely important, but they're a Republic member. Mon

Mothma wants to let them know that we still remember they're there. Oh, and Belleana . . . they don't like Jedi."

She frowned. {What is it with not liking Jedi?!} "Why this time?"

"Back during the Clone Wars, the Jedi assigned to Bpassh turned to the Dark Side and

wreaked havoc on the entire sector. You're allowed to go, just don't use your powers. They might take offense."

"Of course," she sighed. "Can I take my lightsaber, though? Just in case?"

Leia nodded. "Don't wear it in public."

Tom scowled. "In public? Does that mean -"

"I think it does," Belleana sighed. "We're Mon Mothma's honor guard."

"Yes. We're not expecting any trouble, but on the way, you pass dangerously close to the

current frontline. Be at full alert," she said seriously.

Tom gave her a salute and a cocky grin. "Aye, aye, ma'am!"

"Corellians," Leia said with a sigh, glancing at Belleana as she turned to leave. "They're

all the same."

Belleana closed the door behind her. "An honor guard. Just great."

"It's happening," Tom said with a sigh.

"What?"

"They're splitting us up. We go - Harry stays."

Belleana smiled. "He's a big boy, he can fend for himself." She laughed. "And what is

there to fend off on Coruscant, anyway? He's a lowly mechanic, he'll survive."

"I guess I feel guilty, just leaving him here."

"Don't. We aren't always going to be here for him. Now's as good a time for him to learn

as any - and we'll be back in a week." She kissed him, and he smiled. "Don't worry about him."

"I won't. We're leaving in just a few hours - better get ready." He turned and walked into

their bedroom.

{Why are people so afraid of Jedi?} Belleana asked Luke.

{They're afraid of what they don't understand.}

{And that's us.}

She heard his mental sigh. {Unfortunately it is. When there are more of us, we won't seem

so sacred and untouchable.}

{But we also don't want a repeat of the Clone Wars, or another Darth Vader,} she thought.

Belleana could feel his edginess about the topic of Darth Vader. {It wasn't your fault your

father went bad - and in the end he came back.}

{Yes . . . but the Dark Side is close to us all. Don't let yourself be lured by the thought of

power. That is the first and foremost of your lessons. And . . . be careful.}

Belleana smiled. {I will. And I won't forget.}

+

Metal ground against metal as Jarron slid the Jefferies Tube hatch open. "Chakotay?" he

whispered.

"Jarron?" Chakotay asked, rushing over to help him out of the Jefferies Tube.

"Kes sent me! Janeway is on the move! Voyager, equipped with those new hyperdrives, has

detached from Chimaera, and both ships are preparing to enter hyperspace!" he exclaimed,

breathless.

"What's our destination?" Chakotay asked, gesturing for the Bajoran to take a seat.

He collapsed in the chair gratefully. "A solar system called Bpfassh'. I don't know if

that's the name of a planet, the star, or the entire system."

"Any idea why?"

"Pellaeon, the Chimaera's captain, mentioned something about . . . a . . . Jedi? And the

New Republic's president?" Jarron asked uncertainly.

"The New Republic is whomever they're fighting. And Jedi' . . . that's what Joruus

C'baoth introduced himself as. I wonder if it's some sort of title . . ."

"Whatever it means, they're trying to capture one. Which means -"

" - we're taking Voyager into a battle against another Delta Quadrant power. And there's

nothing we can do to stop it."

+

Belleana Parris was jarred from sleep as she was tossed out of her bunk on the Corellian

Corvette Liberty and onto the floor. Tom was awakened too, flailing about, still tangled in the bed sheets. "What's going on?!" he demanded.

"I don't know." She concentrated for a moment on the Liberty's bridge crew, then turned

back to Tom. "The captain is flustered, and angry at being caught unawares. And he's thinking something about an . . . interdiction field. I hope you did your homework."

He scowled. "You sound worse than a Betazoid."

"An interdiction field . . ." she prompted, pulling herself up off the floor.

"It can drag a ship out of hyperspace before it reaches it's destination."

Belleana pulled her flight suit pants on. "Then we have a problem. Open the porthole, let's

see what's going on out there."

"But -"

"We're not in hyperspace anymore, I can feel it. Now open it up," she ordered, slipping

her shirt over her head.

He flipped the switch to clear the window, and reached for his pants, not bothering to glance

out. Belleana did, and she stared in horror. She walked to the porthole slowly, attracting Tom's attention. "Belleana, is something . . ." his words trailed off as he viewed the scene.

"That's an Imperial Star Destroyer," she whispered. "And Voyager is helping them . . ."

+

On the bridge of Chimaera, Joruus C'baoth grinned evilly. "We have them! Engage the

tractor beam."

Grand Admiral Thrawn nodded at the weapons officer. Then, turning back to C'baoth,

asked, "But why don't we just destroy them?"

"There is a young Jedi aboard," C'baoth announced. "It seems Vader missed one."

+

Belleana and Tom Parris were thrown up against the bulkhead as the Liberty pitched to the

side. "Tractor beam," she muttered. "Grab your blaster, we'll be boarded. But look out for

Voyager personnel. We don't know if they're working with the Empire or if they've been

captured."

Tom nodded, and together they dashed out into the fray, working their way toward the

docking bay. Half-way there, they nearly ran into Blue Four. "C'mon, we're going to defend the air lock. Leader, Two, Three and Eight are on their way - I lost track of them. There's not enough time to launch the squadron."

Almost as he said that, the ship tilted again, then shuddered. "We've docked!" Belleana

said. "We're too late!"

"Hurry!" Four exclaimed. "We're almost there!"

They turned the corner into a firefight.

{Chakotay, where ever you are . . . I hope you're not in the crossfire.}

+

The fight had been short and swift, Thrawn was sure of that. It was an overwhelming

Imperial victory. Thrawn stood in a corridor of the so-called Liberty, watching it's remaining crew being led into captivity. Along with the crew, Thrawn had also been fortunate enough to capture the five still living members of the X-wing Blue Squadron, and the President of the New Republic!

It was a pity that only a fourth of the crew survived. Many of those not killed by his

Stormtroopers had suicided, rather than go into Imperial custody. He could've found some

wonderful tortures to put them all through - the captain of the vessel especially. He would've had

such wonderful information.

{At least we still have the President and the Blue Squadron,} Thrawn thought, as President

Mon Mothma was led over.

She stared at him, slightly baffled. "And who are you?"

Thrawn scowled. {I want my name to be feared all across the galaxy . . . but, I guess I'll

have to start here, with just the crew of this small corvette.} "I am the Grand Admiral Thrawn, last surviving Admiral of the Emperor!"

"Yeah, right," she said skeptically. "It's well known that the Emperor didn't like aliens.

He most certainly wouldn't have promoted one to the position of Grand Admiral. Plus, all the Warlords are accounted for."

Thrawn laughed. "You are too gullible. You believe everything you hear, believe that you

have come to rule the galaxy again," he watched a line of Republic soldiers being marched by. One of them, he identified him as a Blue Squadron pilot, had a pony tail. "And you let your men wear ponytails." He reached out and yanked the man's hair. He turned, and Thrawn found himself staring . . . into the serious face of a young woman. She had one large scar running down the side of her face, and several smaller ones on her forehead, evidence of previous reconstructive surgery.

"No, Thrawn," Mon Mothma told the astounded Admiral with a laugh, "we don't allow

our male pilots to wear their hair long."

Thrawn's scowl deepened. "Take them to the holding area immediately. Her too," he said,

gesturing at Mon Mothma.

As the Stormtroopers led them away, Thrawn allowed himself a moment to sulk. He had

been ridiculed by a Rebel. He would not allow them to go unpunished.

+

Belleana was pacing, restlessly. The cell was too small. If only there were a way to escape.

She occupied herself with piecing together the information she had gathered from the minds

of nearby officers. The Stormtroopers were blank - for some reason, she could read nothing from them.

But from some of the higher ranking officials . . . {These Imperials are working with

Voyager. Willingly. And that means that Janeway is cooperating. I also saw a Trooper with a modified Compression Phaser Rifle. That means that Janeway is trading technology to them. Violating the Prime Directive. Tuvok and Chakotay would never allow her to do such a thing. Which means that Chakotay and Tuvok are somehow incapacitated.}

Just then, she felt a familiar presence at the edge of her consciousness. {Chakotay?} she

asked, reaching out with the Force.

+

{The meditation is finally working,} Chakotay thought. {I can see her spirit.} Strangely

enough, it seemed to Chakotay as if he was still in his quarters. He could see B'Elanna, but not as she had been in life. She was a frail, translucent figure, ringed in a blue aura.

"That's because I'm not dead, Chakotay," she said.

Her words startled him out of his trance. The figure began fading away. "Wait!" he

shouted.

"Concentrate! You're not trained, so this will be hard, but concentrate on everything around

you! Let it's energy flow through you." Her image solidified a bit. "Very good! Chakotay, where are you? What's happening?"

"I'm in my quarters. Captain Janeway confined me here, for plotting a mutiny."

"Were you?" B'Elanna asked wryly.

"Well . . . yes . . . but I had good reason to. Her decisions have been potentially harmful to

the crew . . . I had to stop her . . ." he trailed off, as B'Elanna's image sighed.

"Obviously, it didn't work."

"And where are you?"

B'Elanna sighed again. "I'm on the Imperial Star Destroyer Chimaera."

Chakotay was angry. "You've been there all along?!"

"No. I was on the ship Voyager and Chimaera just captured," she said.

"A New Republic ship?!"

"Yes," she sighed. "They saved us from an Imperial attack. I was sending you a message,

when our communications overloaded. It probably looked like we were destroyed. We almost were. But, just at the last second, a squadron of X-wings showed up. By then, both Tom and Harry were unconscious, both overcome with radiation poisoning. But, lucky Klingon me, I was able to stay conscious until we reached Coruscant - that's the political head planet of the New Republic. Tom, Harry and I took cover as a family who had been off planet when our home was destroyed. We were merely in the way of their conquest of our home', Caldos. There weren't any survivors of the Imperial raid, and all records were destroyed.

"We managed to fit in quite well. I soon discovered I was gifted in a skill that few in this galaxy have, a special sixth sense of the aura surrounding everything, which natives call the Force' and, before my capture, I was undergoing training, teaching me to use this skill."

"And that's why you can talk to me?"

She nodded. "But only because you also have that sense. I should've seen it before now.

On this side of the Milky Way, people have found a way to cultivate and control this rare power. In the Alpha Quadrant, few know it exists. I can teach you all about it later, but first . . . do you think you could get me out of here?" 

+

Dark Jedi Joruus C'baoth sighed. {Finally, I have a Jedi to apprentice. Soon, she will feel

the power of the Dark Side. We can rule the galaxy - and I will be much more careful than the Emperor.}

He had easily taken the Imperial vessel Chimaera. In fact, they had come to him, asking for

his help as a Jedi Master. The Empire obviously needed a strong leader. C'baoth would be that leader, be Emperor, and, whoever the young Jedi potential was, she would be his heir and right hand. C'baoth was growing older daily. Though he was not yet ready to die, someone would need to be trained to take his place . . . 

Suddenly, he felt a use of the Force at the edge of his perception. {What's this? My Jedi is

trained?}

+

{Voyager is docked. I need merely to distract the guards, and reach Voyager. Then I will be

safe,} Belleana thought. It had been easy enough to keep her lightsaber, convincing the guards with the Force that the only weapon she had was the single blaster.

{You will open the door,} she projected out to the guard outside.

The door opened, slowly. {You will let me pass.}

"You may pass," the Stormtrooper said.

Belleana stepped into the corridor, masking herself as just another officer. She closed the

door behind her. "The prisoner is fine."

"Yes . . . the prisoner is fine . . ." he muttered.

"You will remain at your post."

"I will remain at my post," he said, snapping to attention.

"Carry on," she replied, stalking off down the hall. Belleana knew which corridors to take

without a second thought. {If only Tom was Force strong . . . I would be able to find him also.}

The connection with Voyager was right up ahead. Chakotay had told her Janeway was

working with the Empire. Masking herself took energy, but . . . it was the only way.

She slipped past the Stormtroops with ease. Their blank minds needed a mere shove, before

they would forget anything. All of their minds felt the same - empty. 

The halls of Voyager felt safe - until a Stormtrooper marched by. {It seems that now, even

my home is a danger.} Kes came down the hall carrying a box of plants, presumably for the

hydroponics bay. Belleana longed to stop and reveal herself, but it was too risky.

Suddenly, Kes stopped short and stared at Belleana. "Who are you?!"

"I'm . . . I'm taking Captain Janeway a message . . . from Grand Admiral Thrawn," she

stammered.

Kes' eyes narrowed. "What's your name?"

"Ensign . . . Belleana Parris . . ." she said, adding the lilting Alderaanian accent to her

name. "I . . . I seem to be lost . . . could you take me to her?" {Damn!} Belleana thought. {Who's side is she on?!}

"Of course . . . Ensign," the Ocampa said, accenting Belleana's supposed title. "Just

follow me." 

Kes started off - though not toward the bridge. {She's on to me. Where are we headed?}

They rounded a corner, away from the main center of attention, and Kes dropped her box,

slamming Belleana against the wall, surprising her that such strength could be hidden in such a seemingly weak form. "Who are you really?" she growled. "You're no Imperial officer."

"No, I'm not," Belleana confided, pushing Kes back, lightsaber immediately in hand,

through no conscious thought of her own. Belleana forced herself to calm down, dropping her disguise in the process.

"B'Elanna!" Kes whispered in amazement, eyes wide in awe. "It can't be you! You're -"

Belleana shook her head. "It's me. The shuttle survived the attack."

"But who -" 

Kes was cut short. "The Imperials were the ones who attacked us. The New Republic saved

us. I was captured in the battle Voyager fought against the Republic ship. I will explain it all later. Right now, I need to go to Chakotay."

"I was headed there right now," Kes said.

"But Chakotay's room -"

"- is guarded," Kes finished. "The only way in is through the Jefferies Tube, and the only

unseen entrance is in the Hydroponics Bay. How did you . . . do that? Change what you looked like?"

"It's a long story. Let's not take the Jefferies Tube, I can get us there undetected. C'mon."

+

Chakotay's door opened. It wasn't a meal time, and no one was allowed to visit him, so who

. . .

B'Elanna stepped in, followed by Kes, who was staring at the Stormtrooper guard.

"B'Elanna!" he exclaimed, jumping up.

"Is your room monitored?" she asked, almost weakly.

"Just the front room. Why?"

"I need to rest," she said simply.

Kes stepped away from the door, finally, allowing it to slide shut. "He . . . didn't see us?"

she asked suspiciously.

Chakotay led them into his back room, as B'Elanna answered, "No, Kes. He'll never

remember anyone entering." She sighed, and collapsed into an overstuffed chair. "It takes a lot of energy to mask yourself from passerbys. It takes even more energy to hide two."

"Where's Tom?" Chakotay asked.

"I couldn't locate him. He's still alive, though. I can feel that. We can't leave him there.

We can't leave President Mon Mothma either. There's no telling what -"

"Who's Mon Mothma?" he questioned.

B'Elanna smiled. "She's the President of the New Republic. I'm part of her honor guard.

She was on a diplomatic mission to Bpfassh, a planet near here." Her fond smile melted away. "I may be a member of this crew, but I also have an obligation to the New Republic. Losing Mon Mothma at this time could be fatal to their government. They've only been a ruling power for two years. And frankly, they remind of the vision of an early Federation."

"But, B'Elanna, the Prime Directive -"

She cut him off with a brief shake of her head. "It doesn't apply here. You've already

interfered - now we need to rectify that situation. Until that happens, I'm not Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres. I'm Belleana Parris - Jedi, X-wing fighter, refugee of Alderaan and Caldos, and wife of Tom Parris - X-wing fighter of Corellia and refugee of Caldos. And sister of Harry Kimm, also of Alderaan and Caldos. Got it?"

Chakotay nodded. "Yes, I've got it."

She sighed. "And now, let's hear your plans."

+

Tom was awakened by a shout from the hall. "Lieutenant, one of the prisoners has

escaped!"

He groaned and sat up with a smile. It could only have been Belleana. She'd be coming as

soon as she could. Soon he would be out of this cell, off of this Star Destroyer, and safely heading back home to Coruscant.

{That's odd,} he thought. {I'm already thinking of Coruscant as home . . . and I can't wait

to get back. I would've never guessed I'd think of that planet as home. Yet . . . there's nowhere else . . .}

The cell door clanked. Tom jumped to his feet, wondering for just a moment if Belleana was

already here. The door swung open . . .

It wasn't Belleana. Actually, his guess couldn't be any farther from being right. It was an

Imperial officer, a Stormtrooper . . . 

. . . and a Starfleet officer, eyes wide, staring at Tom. He nearly dropped his phaser rifle and

stepped back, frightened.

Curiously, Tom could only think about not breaking his cover. He stood straight and tall,

mustering all of his will and, thinking of Han Solo's demeanor, asked, "What do you want?"

The Imperial officer came forward into his cell. "The female pilot in your unit - what is her

name?"

Tom shrugged and sauntered over to sit on the cell's bench. "What's it to you?"

"I wouldn't withhold information, if I were you, rebel."

"Well, why do you need to know?"

The officer scowled deeply. "That's none of your business."

He shrugged again. "Then neither is her name your business."

"I will not ask you again, rebel -"

"And if I don't tell you, what will you do? Kill me? That won't get you anywhere, will it?

And it certainly won't impress your superior. No, I don't think you'll hurt me at all. On the

contrary, actually - you're under orders to take very good care of me, I gather. Especially because I'm an X-wing pilot. And I know more about that pilot than anybody else."

The officer seemed to smile. "You do? Well . . . why?"

"Because she's my . . . Oh ho!" Tom exclaimed with a laugh. "You thought you'd gotten

me there, didn't you. Well, I'm not gonna tell you anything." Tom made eye contact with Jarron over the Imp's head, and Jarron nodded, understanding. "In fact," he continued, "you're not gonna tell any one about this either." 

The Imperial officer's eyes clouded with confusion. Tom flashed him a winning smile, and

punched him in the face.

Before the Stormtrooper could fire, Jarron shoved the butt of his rifle into the Trooper hard

enough to crack the white armor. The Stormtrooper dropped his blaster.

Tom picked it up, turned, and fired at the officer, then at the Stormtrooper. Jarron watched in

horror. "Was that really necessary? Did you really have to kill them?!"

Tom nodded grimly. "Sorry, kid, nothing else I could've done." He gestured at the dead

Imperial officer. "He's a commander. We couldn't let him live. Now, let's get out of here." Tom dashed past Jarron, who followed in confusion.

+

Joruus C'baoth had been told the news. The ensign who had brought the bad tidings lay in

a heap on the floor, in death still clutching his throat.

{The poor bastard,} Pellaeon thought. {Ensign Evrets never had a chance.} A memory

suddenly came back to him. {I remember . . . Vader . . . doing that same thing,} he thought in disgust. {Why did Thrawn ever want to work with another Jedi?}

"Captain Pellaeon!" C'baoth called.

Captain Pellaeon nearly shrunk back in fright. Instead, he took a deep breath to calm his

terror and asked meekly, "Yes?"

C'baoth gestured at Ensign Evrets' corpse. "Have this removed. And alert the entire ship -

I want my Jedi! NOW!"

Pellaeon jumped and dashed out of C'baoth's quarters.

+

Deep in the bowels of the Chimaera, Tom made up his mind. {I may look like Lt. Tom

Paris, but until this is sorted out, and until Mon Mothma is returned to Coruscant, I am Tom Parris, X-wing pilot.} He stopped in a dark hallway, and turned to look straight at Jarron. "Thanks, but . . . why did you help me? I get the picture you're not an Imp."

Tom had never before seen Jarron this confused. "Tom . . . Tom, it's me!"

He almost sighed, but stopped himself before his cover was blown. He exclaimed, "Who

are you? How do you know my name?"

Jarron looked hurt. "You don't remember me?"

Tom shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Maybe we met on Corellia? Geez, it's been so long, I

wouldn't remember. It was Corellia, wasn't it?"

Jarron frowned. "Corellia? Where's that?"

He shook his head. "Okay, not Corellia. Coruscant?" Jarron shook his head. "Okay, on

board Victory?" Again, Jarron shook his head. Tom sighed. "Well . . . then I don't know who you are, kid, but at least we seem to be on the same team." Tom glanced back and forth conspiratorially. "Now, is there some way to access the Star Destroyer's computer network? My wife, Belleana, was captured also, and I need to find her, as well as the rest of my wing and the President."

Jarron sighed, obviously hurt by Tom's lack of recognition. "I haven't been aboard very

long. My ship is still docked. And I think I know someone who can find your wife. Please follow me, sir," he said quietly.

+

Belleana glanced at herself in the mirror. At least with the replicators, she had been able to

make herself look like a proper Jedi. And her black jumpsuit would hide her in the darkened

corridors of Voyager during the ship's "night".

She touched her lightsaber reassuringly as she headed for the door. Master Luke had taught

her well. She wouldn't leave without saying good-bye . . .

She glanced around her old quarters once more. Trinkets picked up in the Delta Quadrant

lined the shelves, and a framed picture of Tom, Harry and herself on the holodeck sat on the table beside the door. She smiled fondly at the picture. {Will it ever be that way again?} she thought, giving herself only a moment of doubt, before scolding herself silently. {We'll start on our way home soon enough. And this plan will work. Do or do not,' Master Luke said, there is no try'.}

Setting the picture back down, Belleana stepped out into the near-empty corridor, and

glanced at the two figures waiting for her. "The plan's rather simple, and it's been done before, successfully, I might add. But it's going to be difficult. Carrey, I need you to hack into the Chimaera computer net, and find out where Tom Parris and Mon Mothma are being held. Tom should be near all of the X-wing pilots, we need to free all four of them. I doubt we'll be able to save the rest of the Victory crew. They're expendable, at least to the Imperials."

"What do I do?" Kes asked.

They set off down the halls at a brisk jog. "You'll be covering Carrey as he's entering the

computer, and both of you will be covering me when we reach the cells. It may be necessary to split up. If so, abort this mission. I'll go on alone. There will be no way for you to reach me, I carry no communicator." They both nodded. "Remember, the crew will be uprising on Voyager after we leave. If you need to return, act normal! Then, you won't be as noticeable - which is why you're wearing black. I'd hide you both, but it takes far too much energy."

Carrey seemed confused. "How would you hide us?"

Belleana sighed. "Never mind, it's a long story, I'll tell you later. Just one more thing. May

the Force be with you."

"What?!"

She grinned. "It means Good Luck'."

+

Luke Skywalker, in flight suit and helmet, patted Harry on the shoulder. "I promise I'll find

her."

"But what if she's dead?" Harry asked mournfully.

"She's not. I can still feel her presence. All I get is the impression of danger, though. The

Imperials must have captured Victory. Don't worry, Technician. I will find your sister, and I'll bring her home safely."

Harry nodded and stepped down the ladder from the X-wing. The launch prep crew gave

him the thumbs up, and Harry wheeled the ladder back. The top of Luke's X-wing closed, and he waved at Harry and Leia as he accelerated toward takeoff. {Hang on, Belleana, I'm coming.}

+

In an isolated, dark hallway of Chimaera, Belleana felt the faintest touch on her mind, and

she smiled. {I'm okay, Luke. I'll be home soon.}

+

Tom and Jarron raced through the bowels of Chimaera. Thus far, they had evaded

Stormtroopers and Imperial officers, but time was running out. Tom held his hand out to stop Jarron. "I hear something around the corner," he mouthed.

Jarron nodded. He had heard the message.

Tom edged up to the intersection. He nodded at Jarron, counted silently to three, and leapt

around the corner toward the voice, blaster out in front of him. 

What he saw couldn't have surprised him more. 

"Belleana!" he exclaimed.

"Tom!" she yelped with a smile, and jumped into his arms. "I knew you were alright!"

Jarron glanced at Kes and Carrey questioningly, but they just shrugged, watching the over-

emotional reunion.

"Sorry to break all of this up, but I found out where they're holding Mon Mothma and the

other X-wing pilots," Carrey said.

Belleana nodded and turned to look at Tom. "We were afraid something had happened

when we couldn't find you listed. C'mon, we're low on time, and I could use some extra backup on this." She glanced back at Carrey. "Where?"

"Just follow me."

+

Janeway glanced down at the warnings blinking rapidly on tactical. {It's impossible!

Chakotay, Tuvok, and Hensley have all broken out! And Engineering and Sickbay have been overwhelmed!} "Seal off the bridge!" she called to the Stormtroopers positioned there. "We can't let them gain access!"

Before anyone could more, a turbolift opened. Chakotay, Tuvok, Hensley, and several other

crew members, all armed, stepped out. "Too late, Captain," Chakotay said.

+

Lieutenant Hawkins was an ordinary Imperial lieutenant. He followed the orders of his

superiors without question, and though he was not an exemplary officer, had been promoted for his good work. 

As of then, he had been given a special assignment. He was in charge of the high security

prisoners! And one of them was the president of the so-called New Republic! If Captain Pellaeon didn't promote him for this, he'd never be promoted.

When the troop-lift opened, he expected it was just a new load of Stormtroopers, come to

guard the prisoners. It was time for a shift change, after all. And it would be nice to get to sleep on time, for once . . .

What he saw was totally unexpected.

+

They burst out of the lift, Belleana immediately activating her lightsaber. The officer had no

time to react before a blast from Tom cut him down. The Stormtroopers barely had time to fire a shot, which Belleana's lightsaber easily repelled, before they, too, had been taken care of.

"Monitoring equipment," Kes said.

Jarron and Carrey made short work of the cameras as Belleana, Tom, and Kes dashed down

toward the cells. In moments, Blue Leader, a short, stocky Corellian, and Blues Four and Ten, as well as Mon Mothma, had all been released from their cells. "We don't have much time," Tom said. "We need to get out of here as soon as possible."

Mon Mothma nodded and hurried down the hall, followed by her rescuers and Blue

Squadron's remaining members. "What about the rest of the Victory crew members? And the ship itself?"

"We couldn't find the others. I think they've all been killed - the Empire is known to do

such things. And there's no way to reach Victory. It's being guarded."

"Then how will we get off the Star Destroyer?" Blue Leader asked in confusion.

"Don't worry," Belleana said with a smile. "We've found some allies. Travellers, from far

away. Their captain was lured into accepting an offer of peace from the Empire, but the crew is uprising to take the ship back. They have promised to help us escape."

"Are they trustworthy?" Mon Mothma asked skeptically.

"Oh, yes, very," Tom assured her.

Mon Mothma frowned. "And how do you know this?" she asked as Kes and Jarron

herded them all into the lift, stepping in themselves before the door shut.

Tom and Belleana glanced at each other. "I've felt what was done to their captain,"

Belleana explained. "And . . . well, this is not going to be something you want to hear . . . but this type of mental tampering could only have been done by a highly trained . . ." She paused, and frowned guiltily. "A highly trained Jedi."

"A Jedi?!" Blue Leader exclaimed. "That would mean either you or Luke Skywalker!"

"Oh, it was neither of us!" she quickly assured. "Each Jedi has a sort of . . . different

mental touch'. I've never felt the touch of this individual before. And Master Skywalker never mentioned any other trained Jedi of the Light to me before, no other Jedi of any kind actually, and no Jedi of the Light would control someone's thoughts like this . . . so it's probably a Dark Jedi. One who hid from the Emperor."

"Is that possible?" Mon Mothma asked as the doors of the lift slid open.

"Yes," Belleana answered. "Luke's teachers, Obi-wan Kenobi and Yoda, survived the

persecution. As well as my own parents, on Caldos. Or the Emperor may have secretly employed this Dark Jedi, like Darth Vader. Whatever the reasons, though, he's here. And I don't want to meet him. Let's hurry, we've almost reached our allies' ship."

Mon Mothma nodded briskly, and began walking just a little faster, Blue Leader struggling

to keep up.

+

Belleana slipped inside of the darkened Voyager first, lightsaber casting an eerie glow on

the unconscious bodies of two Stormtroopers on the floors. She gestured for the rest of her party to enter, Carrey and Tom first, then their rescued prisoners, Kes and Jarron guarding the rear.

"Head to the bridge," Tom whispered in Belleana's ear.

She nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder in affirmation. Heading down the corridor

toward the nearest turbolift, she gestured for Carrey and Jarron to come over. "Head for

Engineering. Make sure we're back in control." They nodded and headed off down the hall. She motioned for Kes. "Take Blue Squadron with you to Sickbay. Make sure they're all okay. The Empire is known to use torture. I also want you to make sure the Doc is alright. Losing him now would be suicide."

Mon Mothma and Tom were left with Belleana. "We're heading for the bridge," she told

Mon Mothma. "Our allies should be in control by now, but if they're not, we're obliged to take the bridge back."

Tom handed Mon Mothma his blaster. "Here, use this. You may need it."

"But what will you use?" she asked in confusion.

He opened a panel in the wall and pulled out a phaser. "This. It's called a phaser, and it's

much the same as our lasers."

"Phaser . . . what's that mean?"

"It uses phased energy, instead of a normal laser. Just a bit more high-tech, that's all,"

Tom explained. "It still has a trigger, and still shoots." 

"Oh," Mon Mothma said, still not quite understanding. She just shrugged and followed

Belleana and Tom down the hall, wondering why they knew so much about this alien ship.

They slipped into the turbolift at the end of the hall. "Bridge," Belleana said aloud.

"It . . ." Mon Mothma was having trouble fitting words to her sense of awe. "It takes voice

commands?!"

"Takes a little getting used to, I know," Tom remarked.

Mon Mothma shook her head in wonder. "Such a complex ship, and I haven't seen a

single droid!"

"There aren't any."

"How can they do without them? I, certainly, would never be able to do without them!"

"Well, they seem to have found a way. We've almost reached the bridge," Belleana said.

The door slid open and Belleana leapt out, lightsaber drawn and activated, Tom and Mon

Mothma right behind her.

Chakotay jumped up out of his chair to face the danger - only to have a smile envelop his

face. "B'Elanna! You made it!"

She grinned and shut off her lightsaber. "'Course I did!" Her smile faded as quickly as it

had come. "How's Captain Janeway?"

"I have Tuvok taking a look at her. He should be able to find out what's wrong with her. I

mean, he's a Vulcan."

"Chakotay, I can tell you what's wrong with her - she's being influenced by a very 

powerful Jedi on that ship. I don't know his name, or why he's there, but he's more powerful than I am, possibly even more powerful than my teacher. We need to get as far from him as we can."

Chakotay nodded. "And this will cure the captain?"

Belleana shrugged. "It should. I don't know if she'll remember her actions, or anything

that happened since the Jedi took control of her mind. I believe we should leave as soon as we can. Are all the Voyager crew members aboard?"

"Yes, with the exception of Ensign Jarron. We can't seem to contact him."

"He was with Tom," Belleana reported. "He's on his way to Engineering."

Mon Mothma was only half listening to the exchange when she asked, "But what about the

Stormtroopers still on board?"

"B'Elanna?" Chakotay said, gesturing at the engineering console.

"Yes, Chakotay. What do you intend to do with a console that will affect the

Stormtroopers?" she asked, glaring at him.

"Oh," he said apologetically. "Uhm . . . we have a way to instantly transport them off of

the ship. It's a very advanced technology that our laws prohibit us from sharing, I'm afraid. We have a non-interference directive which would normally not allow us to even be helping you. Uh, let me just take care of them." He steeped over to the Engineering console, tapped a few panels, and turned to the ensign at CONN. "Ensign, unhook us from the Chimaera. Set a course away from the Star Destroyers. Engage at Warp 7."

"Commander, Chimaera is hailing us."

"Ignore it. Keep going."

"They're attempting to follow . . . Commander, they've disappeared from sensors!!"

Hensley exclaimed from Tactical.

Belleana turned to Chakotay. "They've engaged their hyperdrives. They are invisible to

conventional sensors, but are moving much slower than Voyager."

"How fast is Voyager going at, Commander?" Mon Mothma asked suddenly.

"How fast does a Star Destroyer travel at in hyperspace?" he asked Tom.

Tom thought about that for a moment, before reporting, "About 2 and a half times the speed

of light."

Chakotay shook his head in disbelief. "Our own Warp 1 is several hundred times the speed

of light. We're traveling at Warp 7."

Mon Mothma's mouth hung open in awe. "You mean . . . "

"Can you tell us where your homeworld is, so we can take you there?" Chakotay asked.

"I can tell you that," Belleana assured him. "I think President Mon Mothma needs some

rest, though."

Chakotay nodded in understanding. "Ensign Hensley, could you take our guest to some

quarters?"

"Yes, sir." Hensley came out from behind tactical, and gestured for Mon Mothma to

follow. "This way, please."

As soon as the turbolift doors had closed, Belleana dashed over to the Engineering station.

"Everything's at full potential. You mean you were able to retake the ship without damaging anything?! That's amazing!"

Chakotay nodded. "Thank you very much. The entire crew was with us. It was just a matter

of overpowering the nearly 70 Stormtroopers on board, without any injuries."

The ensign at Ops called out, "Commander, I'm picking something up on long-range

sensors. It's a ship, much like Lt. Torres described, with the X-shaped wings."

"Drop out of warp, and move into range. Let's have a look at this ship."

"We're being hailed, audio only."

"It's an X-wing fighter. They're not equipped with any high-tech transmitting equipment,"

Belleana said. "I wonder who it is."

"On speakers," Chakotay ordered."

Static was transmitted over speakers, followed by a barely audible, "This is Luke Skywalker

to the alien vessel. Please identify yourself."

"Can you clean that up any?" Chakotay asked Ops.

The ensign typed something into his console. "I've got it as clear as I can get it."

Chakotay nodded. "This is the Federation Starship Voyager, currently commanded by

Commander Chakotay."

"Luke!" Belleana shouted. "It's me!"

"Belleana? Are you alright?"

"I'm just fine! We were attacked by a Star Destroyer called Chimaera, and we were all

captured, but I escaped, and found these people, who were also against the Empire - you see, their captain was being influenced by someone on the Star Destroyer, so we -"

"Uh . . . Belleana, can you tell me all this later?" Luke cut in.

She blushed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to babble."

"That's okay. Is there some way I can dock with you? I'm kind of low on supplies," Luke

asked.

Chakotay shrugged, though Skywalker couldn't see the gesture. "I guess that will be fine.

We can tractor you into our shuttle bay. Will that be okay with you?"

"It's fine. Just watch out for my nav'droid."

"Of course," Chakotay said, glancing over at Belleana in confusion. "Voyager out." The

ensign cut the connection. "B'Elanna, what's a . . . nav'droid?"

"It's the X-wing's computer system, an android that attaches directly to the ship," she

explained.

Chakotay shrugged. "Okay, then. Ensign, power up the tractor beam, and tow our friend

inside. I'll be in the shuttlebay. B'Elanna?"

She nodded, and followed him into the turbolift.

+

Chakotay and Belleana entered the shuttlebay, just as the bay doors closed behind Luke's

X-wing. He jumped out and landed lightly on the floor, grinning. "Belleana! It's good to see you again. How's President Mon Mothma?"

"She's in some quarters, just fine. Unfortunately, only five members of Blue Squadron

survived. We hit an interdiction field projected by Chimaera, and were pulled out of hyperspace. They boarded us, and we were captured before we could even launch the X-wings. I . . ." she trailed off. "Luke, what's wrong?" she asked.

He was staring strangely at Chakotay. "Belleana, is he . . . ?"

Belleana glanced at Chakotay, then back to Luke. "Is he what?" She then remembered what

she had told Luke to cover up. {He thinks Chakotay's my father!} She sighed and made up her mind. {It's time to fess up.} "Uh . . . Luke, we need to have a talk."

"About what?" Luke asked, confused, and still staring strangely at Chakotay.

"Just follow me," she said with a sigh, and a deep sense of dread. {What have I done this

time?} She headed out into the hall, Luke close on her heals, leaving Chakotay to ponder her words.

She sighed. "Luke, I haven't been entirely honest with you," she admitted.

Luke nodded. "You've been hiding things. I could feel it. But I didn't want to ask you. I

was hoping you'd come around it your own time."

"Well, I have." She hesitated, wondering where to begin. "Luke, I need you to just listen

for a while. It may take me a while to explain. It's a rather long story."

He nodded again. "I figured it wouldn't be an easy explanation."

She laughed. "No, it's not easy at all. Let me start at the beginning. When you and Rogue

Squadron found us outside of Caldos' system, we had been attacked by the Empire, but we weren't going home to Caldos. We were searching for a type of fuel our ship needed. This ship, Voyager. We're not from Caldos, Luke."

+

" . . . And so you see, I'm not even Human, at least not fully. I don't know how I've

inherited these powers, and I'm afraid I'll never know. My mother was just a normal Klingon, nothing special about her at all. And I never knew my father very well. He left my mother and I when I was only five. Chakotay, over the years that I've known him, has sort've filled that place. In a way. But I've found out that I'm not the only potential on this ship."

Luke nodded, not exactly grasping it all. "So those scars on your forehead - they weren't

scars?"

She shook her head. "No. It's something I inherited from my mother. I'll have to check

with your medics when we return. I'm not supposed to be able to cry, either. Klingons have no tear ducts. Is there any way I can check?"

"Actually, I can give you that answer," he offered. "When we picked you up, we noticed

that your tear ducts were closed off. You do have them, they just couldn't work. 2-1B believed it was a deformity from birth, and fixed them. You'll be going back to Coruscant?"

"Only to say good-bye, and to drop off Mon Mothma and Blue Squadron. My ship needs

me. I'm sorry, Luke. I wanted to tell you the truth, but I wasn't allowed to. Our Prime Directive prohibits that. If we're ever trapped in an alien society, with no apparent escape, we're to assume a new identity and hide there," she explained. "Tom's always been good at pretending - he's got the funniest holodeck program . . . never mind," she said quickly. "But he came up with covers for us instantaneously, hoping that being related would keep you from separating us. And, you see, I guess he's had this infatuation with me for several months . . ."

"So you're not really married to him?"

"No," she said, carefully. "I know this is going to take some getting used to."

"It sure will. I don't think Leia will like this, though."

"I was wondering . . ." she asked, almost guilty. "Do you think it's okay if we don't tell

anyone else? I know I owe it to them all, but . . . It is against our Prime Directive to be telling everyone about us . . . and . . . well . . . I really wouldn't want to hurt them."

He nodded. "I understand. It's still Belleana isn't it?"

"Yes . . . " she hesitated. "It's pronounced differently, though. It's a Klingon name. If I

wrote it in my native language, you wouldn't be able to read it. In your language, though, it's spelled B-apostrophe-E-l-a-n-n-a, and pronounced B'Elanna."

"Oh," he said. "Well . . . B'Elanna . . . I understand exactly what you mean. It would be

okay with me if you all just pretended to be Belleana and Tom Parris and Harry Kimm until you left. It would cause less of a ruckus at home. Where are you from, anyway?" 

"Very far away."

"How far is that?"

B'Elanna sighed, calculating. "It's about 72,000 lightyears away, 66 years at maximum

warp. Sometimes, though, I wonder if I'll ever see my homeworld again. This ship's been my home for four years, ever since an accident sent us 75,000 lightyears from home. And we haven't made as much progress as we hoped. Everything I believe in is there . . . And I'm here."

"I hope you do get home, sometime."

"I hope so, too. Now let's go to the bridge. Tom should be up there, he might want to add

something to my story."

+

" . . . And you're sure you want to take them up on their offer?" Leia asked, hours later on

Coruscant, as Belleana and Harry packed up.

"The only home we have is here," Belleana said. "I've always wanted to explore. The war,

and living on Caldos, prevented that dream from happening. Commander Chakotay told us about a place where there's very little fighting. It's appealing to me, at least. To actually live somewhere where there's peace."

"It seems like a dream," Tom finished, "to be somewhere like that. And maybe it is 66

years away. Our children will be able to live somewhere without war. And that's more than anyone can ask for."

"Besides," Belleana continued, "there are two Jedi potentials on board. They can't be

spared from Voyager, so no one will be able to train them. Luke certainly can't leave now. So it's up to me. We can't let the potentials slip away. Perhaps someday you'll find an order of Jedi far, far away in their Alpha Quadrant."

"Maybe," Leia said. "I'll miss having another Alderaanian to talk to, though."

Belleana sighed. "And I'm sorry I'll miss the birth of your twins. Give my regards to Han

when he returns from Mos Eisley."

"I'll make sure to do that. And Belleana - I wish you and your family luck."

"You too, Leia. Good-bye." Belleana watched Leia leave with a sigh. {If only I'd been able

to tell her the truth . . .} "C'mon, Harry. Time to go. Shuttle's waiting."

+

Everyone was on the shuttle, ready to go, but Belleana had one last good-bye to make. "You

have the beginning of another Federation here, Luke. Make sure the dream doesn't get lost."

"It won't. The Jedi will grow, here. I have a lead on a possible Jedi potential on Corellia,

and I was thinking about checking that out . . ."

Belleana paused. "Luke . . ." she began hesitantly. "When I was aboard Chimaera, there

was a presence controlling Captain Janeway . . ." She took a deep breath before relating her news. "Luke, it was another Jedi, a Dark Jedi. He was controlling the captain. I want you to be careful out there. Obviously, the Emperor has missed a few Jedi in the past. There may be others out there."

"Another Jedi?!"

"Dark Jedi, Luke!"

"How can you be positive?"

"Would a Jedi of the Light ever control someone's mind?!" B'Elanna demanded.

"No," Luke sighed. "Maybe there's someone else out there, though."

"Maybe."

"Be careful when you're training Chakotay and Kes. This is a delicate time for them. They

can very easily be turned to the Dark Side. Always impress upon them the importance of good."

"I will. I'm going to miss you, Luke."

"Good luck on your journey."

"And good luck on yours. Good-bye, Luke." She hugged him quickly, and started up to

the shuttle, unwilling to let him see her tears.

"May the Force be with you, B'Elanna," she heard him say, before the hatch closed.

+

Luke watched his student leave for the last time. She had a tough journey ahead of her.

"Tech!" he called to the passing mechanic. "Could you ready my X-wing?"

It was time to return to Dagobah, and see if Yoda had left anything behind.

+

"You have lost my Jedi!" C'baoth roared at Pellaeon. The captain could feel a pressure at

his throat. {It's getting . . . hard to breathe . . .} 

"The only remaining Jedi, and you've lost her!"

"Wait, Master C'baoth," Thrawn called. "She isn't the last! Haven't you ever heard of the

New Republic war heroes Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa Solo? They are the children of

Vader!"

"The children of Vader?" Dark Jedi Master Joruus C'baoth asked with a smile. He

released Pellaeon, and the captain fell to the floor gasping for breath. "Why didn't you mention them before?"

+

Tom sat next to B'Elanna in her quarters. "It's so weird to be back," he remarked.

"We've been away for so long . . ."

"I know," she agreed. "I didn't believe it at first, but I actually missed this place! I guess

I'm getting rather attached to it."

Tom sighed, looking at the photo by her door. "Is it ever going to be that way again? Or is

it over between us now?"

"Things have changed, Tom. But I don't think it's over. We were married for a while, and,

well, I'll admit that it wasn't that bad." She smiled. 

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You know, I could get used to this."

B'Elanna laughed. "It feels strange to finally be home."

A/N: So, there you go. I hope you enjoyed your jaunt into the mind of an 8th grader. Take a few minutes, leave any reflections/funny notes you may have. Toodles. 

~Indarae


End file.
